2,3-Bis((poly)chloromethyl)pyridines are derivatives of 2,3-lutidine in which the methyl groups have been converted into partially or completely chlorinated forms; viz., into mono-, di-, or trichloromethyl moieties. Such derivatives, which can be considered to be partially oxidized derivatives of 2,3-lutidine, if known and available, could be utilized in the preparation of useful herbicides, such as the 2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)pyridine herbicides reported in published European Patent Application 0,041,623, and pharmaceuticals, such as the 7,8-dihydropyrido[2,3-d]pyridazin-5(6H)-one antituberculous compounds reported in Bull Chem. Soc. Japan, 42, 2996-2997 (1969).
3,6-Dichloro-2-((poly)chloromethyl)pyridines are known and have been employed in the preparation of 3,6-dichloropicolinic acid, a commercial herbicide (U.S. Pat. No. 3,317,549). Known methods for the preparation of 3,6-dichloro-2-(polychloromethyl)pyridines by the chlorination of alpha picoline are not completely satisfactory because such chlorinations are not highly selective and consequently produce many isomers and other chlorinated compounds as by-products.